Crunching Tackles

Television and sports personality Stephen A. Smith has been venturing into a new media space: politics. Now, he's one of the most talked about potential candidates for the Democratic nominee for president. On today's show, Chad and John discuss:

2:30 - We recap the 2025 Oscars, talking about the success of the show, the biggest winners and losers, and the general state of movies in culture right now.

18:50 - We transition to a conversation about the first episode of the newest season of Drive to Survive, and particularly how the show covered the scandal involving Christian Horner last year.

30:40 - March Madness is just around the corner, and we discuss the quiet of the college basketball season so far, as well as discuss some of the biggest stories on our minds going into the tournament.

52:00 - THE BIG STORY: Stephen A. Smith is now being discussed as a legitimate presidential candidate. How did this happen? What would it mean for politics and sports? Do we think he has a real chance?

As always, make sure to share this episode if you enjoyed it, and give us a follow on all your social media platforms!

Early into his presidency, Donald Trump signed an executive order preventing transgender women from competing in women's sports in public schools and under the NCAA. Charlie Baker—president of the NCAA—responded with immediate compliance. On today's show, Chad and John discuss:

2:50 - The remarkable Four Nations NHL tournament, the USA v. Canada hockey rivalry fueled by politics, and the state of All-Star games across sports.

17:50 - Jannik Sinner settles his ongoing charges of PED use, and agrees to serve a 3 month suspension. What does this mean for Sinner and for the future of doping cases?

32:40 - THE BIG STORY: The Transgender Sports ban, the national reaction, and what's next in this hugely significant cultural story.

54:50 - Some brief final thoughts about the state of the Oscars and our frustrations with the voting Academy.

As always, make sure to share this episode if you enjoyed it, and give us a follow on all your social media platforms!

The big game in New Orleans is in the books, and the Philadelphia Eagles came out on top! On today's podcast, we discuss the game and the broader implications. We also recap Kendrick Lamar's halftime show, Donald Trump's surprise appearance, and the abysmal state of Super Bowl commercials.

As always, make sure to share this episode if you enjoyed it, and give us a follow on all your social media platforms!

In a whirlwind podcast, Chad and John discuss the 2025 Australian Open, briefly revisit the Champions League Group Stage, and preview the Super Bowl between the Chiefs and the Eagles.

7:30 - 2025 Australian Open Review

25:20 - Champions League Group Stage Review

30:30 - The Super Bowl talk

56:40 - A brief discussion of The Brutalist and the Oscar nominations.

As always, make sure to share this episode if you enjoyed it, and give us a follow on all your social media platforms!

The NFL and NCAA Football playoffs are in full swing, and we are locked into all the action. Plus, tennis has gotten underway in Australia. Chad and John make sure you are aware of all the exciting action coming in the first month of 2025.

As always, make sure to share this episode if you enjoyed it, and give us a follow on all your social media platforms!

As 2024 comes to a close, we are recapping and revisiting our top stories in sports, and our favorite movies, for the year!

4:07: We highlight 2 current sports stories from the NFL and College Football

8:00: Sports Stories—Number 5

20:00: Number 4

27:50: Number 3

34:50: Number 2

45:40: Number 1

58:15: Top Movies—Number 5

1:04:30: Number 4

1:09:30: Number 3

1:13:34: Number 2

1:18:00: Number 1

As always, make sure to share this episode if you enjoyed it, and give us a follow on all your social media platforms!

With more than half-a-dozen brawls and flag planting attempts in college football last week, it's fair to say that rivalry week was heated. We discuss all the drama from Saturday on today's podcast.

2:45: What happened to the Chicago Bears on Thanksgiving?

5:00: General Motors—aka Cadillac—is joining Formula 1 in 2026.

10:35: Jameis Winston is the viral sensation of 2024.

19:22: Panic time at Manchester City.

33:00: College football rivalry week.

56:20: Our Wicked and Gladiator II experience!

As always, make sure to share this episode if you enjoyed it, and give us a follow on all your social media platforms!

The 2024 election happened last week, and Donald Trump will return to the White House in 2025. But if you were up at 3 a.m. on election night, you may have seen a familiar face in the sports world addressing Trump's victory party: Dana White. What does White's involvement in politics say about Trump's success?

Before that, we briefly touch on three controversies in international soccer, from a refereeing scandal in England to an investigative report in Canada to a shocking display of violence in the Netherlands.

As always, make sure to share this episode if you enjoyed it, and give us a follow on all your social media platforms!

We got our dream matchup in the World Series: Yankees vs. Dodgers; Ohtani vs. Judge. We take stock of the first 3 games of the series and consider if the games so far have lived up to the hype.

We also check in briefly with Formula One, a sad story out of N.C. State football, and the award for best player in world soccer.

As always, make sure to share this episode if you enjoyed it, and give us a follow on all your social media platforms!

Many different sports around the world are expanding their postseason format to maximize the amount of high profile games that top teams play each year. Is this a benefit to fans, or just another desperate money grab?

As always, make sure to share this episode if you enjoyed it, and give us a follow on all your social media platforms!